Method and device for regulating the supply of a photovoltaic converter

Abstract

A device for regulating the supply to a photovoltaic converter, the device comprising: a laser source ( 2 ); a photovoltaic converter ( 6 ) that feeds a DC-DC converter ( 8 ); circuit ( 100 ) for regulating the input impedance of said DC-DC converter ( 8 ) as a function of the operating voltage (U s ) of the photovoltaic converter ( 6 ) and of its no-load voltage (U s0 ); and circuit ( 42 ) for measuring an output voltage of the DC-DC converter ( 8 ) and for producing a regulation signal (SR) for regulating the laser source.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for regulating the supply to a photovoltaic converter, the device comprising:
 a laser source; 
 a photovoltaic converter that feeds a DC-DC converter; 
 a DC-DC converter regulator, said regulator regulating said DC-DC converter as a function of an operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter and of a no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter; and 
 a DC-DC converter output voltage measuring device, said output voltage measuring device producing a regulation signal to regulate the laser source. 
 
     
     
       2. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein the input impedance of said DC-DC converter is regulated as a function of the operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter and of the no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       3. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein the regulator of the DC-DC converter comprise a circuit measuring an operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       4. A device according to  claim 3 , further comprising a switch for connecting and disconnecting the circuit measuring said operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       5. A device according to  claim 1 , the regulator of the DC-DC converter comprising a circuit to measure an operating voltage that depends on the no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       6. A device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a comparator comparing a voltage that depends on the no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter with said operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       7. A device according to  claim 1 , said device performing iterative adjustment of the operating point of the DC-DC converter and of the regulation of the laser source. 
     
     
       8. A device according to  claim 7 , said device iteratively adjusting a voltage so as to minimize current in the laser power supply means. 
     
     
       9. A device according to  claim 6 , said device further adding to the voltage, which depends on the no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter, a voltage that is iteratively adjusted until a best efficiency point is obtained. 
     
     
       10. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein said output voltage measuring device comprises a comparator of an output voltage of the DC-DC converter with at least one threshold value. 
     
     
       11. A device according to  claim 10 , wherein a first type of regulation signal is implemented when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is greater than first threshold value, and/or a second type of regulation signal is implemented when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is less than a second threshold value. 
     
     
       12. A device according to  claim 10 , wherein the regulation signal reduces or zeroes the power emitted by the laser, when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is greater than a threshold value, and/or increases the power emitted by the laser, when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is less than a threshold value. 
     
     
       13. A device according to  claim 10 , wherein the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is compared with at least two threshold values. 
     
     
       14. A device according to  claim 10 , wherein the regulation signal is a signal made up of pulses. 
     
     
       15. A device according to  claim 14 , wherein the regulation signal comprises pulses of a first type, or at a first frequency, when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is greater than a threshold value, and/or pulses of a second type, or at a second frequency, when the output voltage of the DC-DC converter is less than a threshold value. 
     
     
       16. A device according to  claim 10 , wherein said output voltage measuring device comprises a comparator of an output voltage of the DC-DC converter with an alarm threshold value, in order to produce an alarm message if said alarm threshold is crossed. 
     
     
       17. A device according to  claim 1 , wherein the DC-DC converter is of the voltage-voltage, or current-voltage, or voltage-current type. 
     
     
       18. A device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a switch disconnecting said DC-DC converter so as to measure the no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter. 
     
     
       19. A device according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least an energy storage, placed at the input of said DC-DC converter or at the output of said DC-DC converter. 
     
     
       20. A device according to  claim 19 , said measuring device measuring a voltage at the terminals of an energy storage, placed at the output of said DC-DC converter. 
     
     
       21. A method of regulating the supply to a photovoltaic converter that feeds a DC-DC converter, comprising the following steps:
 emitting pulses of radiation from a laser source towards the photovoltaic converter; 
 regulating said DC-DC converter as a function of an operating voltage of the photovoltaic converter and of a no-load voltage of the photovoltaic converter; 
 measuring an output voltage of the DC-DC converter and regulating the laser source as a function of said output voltage.